Refrigerator latch



Oct. 21, 1941.

E. w. NORTH ET AL 2,260,154

REFRIGERATVOR LATCH Filed May 5, 1939 @4 XMK/M.

Patented Oct. 21, 1941 REFRIGERATOR. LATCH Edwin W. North and William O.Burke, Rockford, Ill., assignors to NationalLock C'o., Rockford, Ill.,acorporation of Delaware Application May'5, 1939, Serial.No..2,71,852

3 Claims.

nection between a handle and a bolt so that'thev handle will not movewhen the bolt is snapped home responsive to the slamming of the door.

Other objects, advantages and economies peculiar to the invention relateto details of construction as well as the mode of operation of theillustrative embodiment particularly described hereinafter in view ofthe annexeddrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the juncture of adoor and jamb;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section through the door showing thelatch and handle,as seen in the direction of line 2-2 of. Fig. 1;-

Fig. 3 is a transverse Vertical section through thev latch boltstructure looking in the direction of line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section along line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the latch including the operatingplunger with the top of the mounting bracket removed.

As Viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, the preferred form of the latch includes astirrup o-r U-shaped mounting bracket I0 formed by bending a metal plateback upon itself to provide an intermediate wall portion or bight IIflanked by adjoining opposite Wall portions I2. These walls I2 are f ofthe peculiar shape seen in plan in Fig. 1, and at one side of thebracket free edge portions are struck up to provide mounting ears I3(Figs. 3, 4 and 5), whilesmaller attaching flanges I4 are struck up fromanother' edge portion of the bracket disposed nearly at right angles tothe edge portion along which the mounting ears I3 are formed (Figs. 4and 5).

The latch structure includes a reciprocable bolt I5 secured between apair of elongated metal straps I6 by rivets I"I (Figs. 3, 4, and 5). Attheir ends opposite from the bolt, the straps are provided with alignedelongated slots I8 through which projects a rigid pin I9 anchored at itsopposite ends in the opposite side plates I2 of the bracket.

One vertical face of the bolt bears against the bight portion II of thebracket, and an opposite face of the bolt rides against a roller 20(Figs. 1, 3 and 5) so that the bolt is firmly guided in its recprocablemovement. An edge portion of the bight or intermediate Wall section IIof the bracket. is turned in to provide a spring mounting lug 2| (Figs.1 and 4) against which one end of acoil spring 22 bears while itsopposite end engages a seating boss 23 on the bolt. Thus, the bolt isnormally urged outwardly of the bracket.

The latch is mounted on a plate 24 (Figs. 1 and' 2)v by means such asthe rivets 25 passed through the mounting flanges I4. The plate 24 issecured to the door-2B with the latch structure disposedin a suitablerecess therein so that the latch bolt I-5 moves in a direction which isnearly parallel to the outer surface of the door for engagement with aVsuitable latch keeper 2l on the jamb 28.

Means for actuating the bolt includes a reciprocable member or'plunger30 which works ina sleeve 3I mounted on the plate 24 and extendingthrough the inner mounting plate 32 of a handle structure 33, therebeing a collar 34 threaded onto the sleeve to secure the plates 24 and32 in assembled relation. A handle member 35 rocks on a pintle 36 andvisprovided with a bearing surface 31 which bears against the outer end ofthe plunger 30 when the handle is moved outwardly of the door againstthe tension of its normal spring 38. A suitable face plate or escutcheonplate 39 shields the handle mechanism from view.

The' inner end 4l)` of the plunger 30 is headed for bearing engagementwith an intermediate operating lever or element 42. 'Ihe arrangement andconstruction of this intermediate lever is of importance, and it ispreferably made by bending a piece of metal 'back upon itself to providea .bight or intermediate wall portion 43 (Fig. 5

particularly) flanked by opposite adjoining wall sections 44 ofapproximately triangular shape. Near one corner or apex portion of theopposite triangular walls 44 "are aligned openings 45 (Fig. 5) throughwhich a pivot pin 46 is extended (Figs. 1 and 2) and anchored in theopposite wall portions of the bracket.

The intermediate operating lever is thus mounted for movement about anaxis which is at right angles or normal to the plane of movement of thebolt I5, and which is parallel with the guiding pin I9 for the bolt. Theintermediate wall portion 43 of the lever element is curved inwardly(Figs. 2 and 5) to provide a curved gliding surface which is cooperablewith the headed end 40 of the plunger 30. The remaining corner or apexportions of the opposite triangular wall portions 44 are curved slightlyas at 4l for bearing engagement with a bearing pin 48 rigidly or curvedextremities 41 will bear against the pin 48 and withdraw the boltagainst the tension `of 2. Impositive actuating means for use withlatches of the type including a housing, a reciprocable bolt arrangedfor sliding movement in the housing', and a plunger which reciprocatesat an angle to the movement of the bolt, said actuating means includinga member bent back upon itself and formed to provide opposite plates ofapproximately triangular shape and connected by an intermediate wallportion which extends from the region of one apex portion of .the platesin a direction toward another apex "portion and which is curved inwardlyof said its spring 22. When the handle is released," this latter springwill restore thev bolt vto latchedV position. v 1,

Frequently, the handle 35 isr'elea'sed when the door is in open positionand thereafterthe y door may be slammed shut; in such alcase, the rcammed portions of the bolt I5 will engagecorrespondingly cammedportions of the keeper 21,"

and the bolt will be moved inwardly against the tension of its .springindependently of the remaining operating mechanism, thatv is `toisay,the intermediate lever 42 and the rest of the handle structure.dependent operation is recognized in the art, the

principal feature of the invention being the construction of, themechanism by which such' operation is accomplished, particularly withrespect to the intermediate'means 42-43-,41.

may be realized in other forms .-of construction, and the specificdetailsrecited herein are not to be considered as limitations except asmayzbe provided in rthe appended claims. z

Having thus described our invention, what wer claim as new andldesirepto protect by Letters Patentisz i' 'Y m 1. In a latch of the`type havinga U-shaped body structure and a reciprocablebolt arranged insaid body structure for rectilinear movement, said reciprocable boltprovided with bearing means for engagement by an intermediate operatingmeans and a transversely moving operating plunger, intermediateoperating means in the formof a member bent back upon itself to provide.a bight portion with opposite adjoining wall portions of approximatelytriangular shape, said bight portion being curved-in a directioninwardly along a line extending between the opposite wall portions forgliding'engagement with an end of said plunger, said member beingmounted for pivotal movementabout pin means extended through saidopposite lwall portions near an apex extremity thereof, said oppositewall yportions having apex extremities remote from said pin means andsaid bight portion which are curved for bearing engagement with saidbearing means on the bolt.

The importance of such inplates to provide a gliding surface extendingto- .ward said plates .and adapted for bearing engagement with .an endof said plunger, said l actuating member being adapted to be mounted forpivotalvvmovement about a pintle extending through said plates in theregion near another Y apex portion thereof, corresponding edge porv Theobjects and advantages of the inventiontions of said plates near theremaining apex portion thereof being curved lforrbearing engagement withbearing .means on said bolt.

3. In a latchl including a body, a reciprocable bolt structure arrangedin the body for *resti-M linear. movement vand an operating plunger`adapted to move inv a direction transversely'of the bolt structure toeffect movement of the latter through the agency of an impositiveconinectingl means, the combinationwith 'said bolt structure and plungerof impositive lever means in the form of a member having opposite facesof approximately triangular shape, said faces being joined by anintegral web portion, a bearing pin fixed to said bolt structure, apivot pinex-f `tending through both faces of said levermember near onecorner region thereofsaid pin extending in approximate parallelism withsaid bearing pin on the bolt structure and providing a portion remotefrom said pivot pin and said web and projecting to bear in cammingengagement with said bearing pin on the bolt structure .when

.the impositive lever means is pivoted in a certain direction, saidimpositive lever'means being mounted with said web portion disposedapproximately opposite the end of said plunger .and

normally in a plane which is not normal to the by spring means, andmeans for moving said plunger for the purpose aforesaid.

EDWIN W. NORTH. WILLIAM BURKE.

